Aerial lift and passenger chair therefor



S. S. HUNTINGTON AERIAL LIFT AND PASSENGER CHAIR THEREFOR Original Filed April 3, 1948 n 0 6 L 7 1 4 r 4. 5 M m & 4 T 5?: 5: ZRNNR m 4 I EREE Jr 4 N 3 I I 4 I H /ll m. 6 "U 5 J 1/ 3 I .mlv a 5 m F S 3 I v v MW R y ,5 6 e C 47 l m 3 9 n F u 4 4 r/ S 3 G F M W L l.. 7 m 2 I. .w G 6 Jan. 11, 1955 ATTORN EYS United States Patent AERIAL LIFT AND PASSENGER CHAIR THEREFOR Samuel S. Huntington, Idaho Springs, Colo., assignor to Berthoud Pass Lodge, Inc., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Original application April 3, 1948, Serial No. 18,742, now Patent No. 2,582,201, dated January 8, 1952. Divided and this application June 15, 1951, Serial No. 231,784

9 Claims. (Cl. 155--2) This invention relates to aerial lifts and passenger chairs for aerial lifts, and more particularly to such chairs which are adapted to carry a plurality of persons. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 18,742, filed April 3, 1948, now Patent No. 2,582,201, and entitled Ski Lift.

Aerial tramways have been utilized in carrying ore or the like, as in buckets, either upwardly or downwardly from a mine to a mill, and have more recently been adapted to the transportation of passengers, particularly in the form of ski lifts and the like. There are two general types of aerial tramways or lifts, one being the bicable type in which the ore buckets or chairs are suspended from rollers which move along a fixed cable and are moved along the fixed cable by a second or driving cable. The second is the mono-cable type, in which the buckets or chairs are attached to a single moving cable which acts both as a supporting and driving cable, and usually passes over rollers at spaced supporting towers. Prior to the chair of this invention, and the lift of my copending application Serial No. 18,742, chair lifts used for skiers, in general the only chair lifts in existence, had been limited to chairs which were capable of carrying only one person. The unloading station described and claimed in my above mentioned copending application Serial No. 18,742, which will be referred to hereinafter, permits a plurality of skiers to be discharged simultaneously from a single chair, so that a suitable chair for carrying a plurality of persons, such as two, became necessary. Furthermore, a chair lift utilized for skiers in the winter months may also be utilized for the transportation of passengers to a point at which scenic views may be obtained, during the summer months when snow is not available for skiing. Thus, although particularly adapted for use in a ski lift, the chair of this invention also may be utilized for the transportation of non-skiers.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a novel chair for an aerial tramway or chair lift; to provide such a chair which is capable of carrying a plurality of persons; to provide such a chair which can be utilized for either a mono-cable or bi-cable type of lift; to provide such a chair which is sufficiently sturdy to withstand the rigors of use in all seasons of the year; to provide such a chair which provides adequate safety for the persons carried; to provide such a chair which is particularly adapted to be utilized in a ski lift; and to provide such a chair which is simple in construction and may be made economically.

Further objects of this invention are to provide a novel aerial chair lift; and to provide such a lift which includes terminals having parts particularly adapted to cooperate with certain parts of the chair of this invention.

Additional objects and the novel features of this invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an aerial lift chair constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. .2 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the chair of Fig. l, with certain portions condensed and certain portions broken away to show construction details;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the chair of Fig. 1, in use on the chair lift of this invention, the chair passing around the drive pulley at the upper station of such a lift;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, similar to Fig. 3, but taken at the lower terminal of the lift and showing the chair passing the loading station; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a chair of this invention as it passes over an unloading station for skiers, which forms a novel portion of the ski lift of my co-pending application Serial No. 18,742.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, a chair C of this invention includes a generally box-shaped support, preferably formed of tubular members and having sides 10, a top 11, and a bottom 12. As will be evident from Fig. 1, a single piece of metal tubing may be bent to an inverted U-shape to form the sides 10 and top 11, and the bottom 12 may be welded or otherwise permanently attached thereto at the lower ends of the sides 10. This box-shaped support is adapted to hang vertically, and has sufficient strength to support the weight of the passengers with a comparatively large factor of safety, so that the seat and back of the chair may be made of comparatively lighter material. Thus, the seat of the chair may comprise a rectangular box-shaped structure formed by side angles 13, a front tube 14, and a rear tube 15, the side angles 13 being placed with the lower horizontal leg facing inwardly and the parts attached together in a suitable manner, as by welding at the corners. The seat may be completed by a plurality of slats 16 which may be formed of steel and bent to shape, as indicated in Fig. 2, the rear ends of the slats 16 being attached, as by welding, to the rear tube 15, and the front ends of the slats being quadrant shaped and extending over the front tube 14 and also being attached thereto, as by welding. The seat is preferably tipped rearwardly on the bottom member 12 of the chair support, such as at an angle of approximately 10 to the center line of the sides 10 of the chair support. It will be understood, of course, that tubes may be substituted for the side angles 13 of the seat, and angles may be substituted for the front tube 14 and/ or rear tube 15 thereof.

The back of the chair may include an inverted U-shaped tubular member 17 welded at its lower ends to the seat frame, and a series of slats 18 which extend from the rear tube 15 of the seat framework to the underside, or the back, of the upper portion of tube 17, and attached to each, as by welding. The back of the chair is preferably tipped backwardly from a position with respect to the seat, such as approximately 10 rearwardly of a perpendicular to the side angles 13. This rearward tipping of both the chair seat and chair back causes the weight of the passengers to be distributed toward the rear and the dimensions of the seat are preferably such that, with the passengers sitting in the chair, their shoulders will be rearwardly of the sides 10 of the chair support. This insures that the center of gravity of the chair, when loaded, will be rearwardly of the support, thus adding to a feeling of security of the passengers. In addition, particularly for winter use, a wooden slab or a leather covered pad or the like may be placed on or attached to the seat, and also the back if desired, to reduce the discomfiture of passengers who would otherwise sit on or lean back against cold metal in the winter, or hard metal in the summer.

Arms for the chair, which also act to reinforce and stabilize the seat and the back, may each include a rear lateral tube 19 which extends outwardly and downwardly, as in Fig. 2, from the back tube 17 to the side 10 of the support, and a front tube 20 which may extend slightly downwardly and inwardly, then downwardly at a considerably sharper angle, to the front corners of the chair seat. Each tube 19 is preferably welded to both tubes 10' and 17 while each tube 20 is preferably Welded at opposite ends to the side 10 of the chair support and the front tube 14 of the chair seat, respectively, it being understood that a single tube may be used for each arm, which may merely pass to the inside, or outside, of support side 10, preferably being welded or otherwise suitably attached to the latter.

The top 11 of the chair supporting structure, at an offcenter position, is welded or otherwise suitably attached to a tubular link 25 provided at its upper end with a fork 26 and reinforced at its point of connection with the chair support top 11 by a pair of laterally extending webs 27, preferably Welded in position. Also, just above webs 27, the link 25 may be provided with an annular roller 28, mounted for rotation on the link 25 above a fixed collar 29. The fork 26 may be connected by a pin 30 to the lower end of an upper link or hanger 31 having adjacent its upper end a laterally extending bracket 32 on which may be mounted a pair of rollers 33, in tandem as in Fig. 5, for supporting the chair from a supporting cable 34. The rollers 33 may be rubber lined to provide smoothness in operation, while hanger 31 may be also attached to a drive cable by a clamp or U-bolt 36, which causes each chair to move along the supporting cable 34 as the drive cable 35 is moved around the lift. It will be understood, of course, that a chair of this invention may be attached to a single cable, as by removing the bracket or clamp 36 and replacing the bracket 32 and rollers 33 with a suitable clamp for a single cable.

The chair of this invention may form a part of a chair lift constructed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and also as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 18,742, now U. S. Patent No. 2,582,201, granted January 8, 1952, which may include the supporting cable 34, drive cable 35, towers for the supporting cable, and upper and lower terminals. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the supporting cable 34 may be mounted on a plurality of towers, such as the tower 37, conveniently constructed as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 18,742, while the drive cable 35 is supported from the chair hangers 31. As will be evident, when going up and down a comparatively steep slope, the drive cable will tend to be maintained generally parallel to the supporting cable 34, and the rollers 33 may run ahead of or behind the brackets 32, but the pivot pin 30 permits the chair support to remain in a vertical position, particularly when passengers are sitting therein. The drive cable 35 is preferably driven from an upper terminal U, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 3, as by a pulley 40 of comparatively large diameter, one edge of which is shown in Fig. 3. Thus, as the drive cable passes around the pulley, the rollers 33 move around a track 41, which may be formed by a bar on edge and carries the rollers 33 from one supporting cable 34 to the opposite supporting cable, while in accordance with this invention the roller 28 of each chair C engages the inside of a guide rail 42 supported by an overhanging truss structure 43. The remainder of the upper terminal, including the drive for pulley 4i) and the support for track 41, and suitable means for anchoring the ends of the supporting cables 34, may be constructed in any suitable manner, such as the manner of composite structure disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 18,742. Each chair C may be supported at a suitable distance above the ground or snow level 44, such for instance as to permit unloading of non-skiing passengers at a suitable point, while the upper terminal may also be provided with sheathing up to a suitable height.

At the lower terminal L, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 4, the drive cable 35 passes around a relatively large idling pulley 46, while the rollers 33 pass around a track 41' which again guides the rollers around from one supporting cable 34 to the opposite supporting cable, suitable means being provided for guiding the rollers 33 to and from the track 41' and the supporting cables 34 such as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 18,742. In addition, in accordance with this invention, the roller 28 of each chair C engages the inside of guide rail 42', supported from a truss structure 43, while other parts of the terminal may be constructed as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 18,742, such as including sheathing 45, and in further accordance with this invention preferably including a bumper 47 in position to engage the inner side 10 of the chair support, to prevent the chair from swinging into protective sheathing 45. Also at the lower terminal, for skiing purposes, a platform 48 having a fence and hand rail 49 may be provided so that snow 50 may be filled in to the level of the platform, and skiers may stand on the snow while waiting for the next chair to come around. As a chair approaches, the two skiers grasp, each with his or her outside hand, a side 10 of the chair support, pivoting the chair back on pin 30, and thus temporarily arresting its motion sufliciently that they are able easily to sit down on the chair, from which point they are picked up by the chair and carried up the lift. For summer operation, the snow 50 at the lower terminal may be replaced by a suitable wooden platform, or planking, to provide a floor at the proper eve The unloading station illustrated in Fig. 5 comprises a novel feature of the ski lift of copending application Serial No. 18,742, and permits two skiers to be unloaded simultaneously from the same chair with safety and ease. As the unloading station is reached by the chair C, the skis will approach the ramp along the dotted ski approach line 54 and will naturally ride up onto and over the top 55, and as the skiers arise from a seated position, they merely permit their skis to slide over onto the top 55 of the snow ramp at the unloading station, then push rearwardly against the chair and slide down the relatively steep forward or unloading slope 56 which extends downwardly to a terrain point 57, disposed at a lower elevation so that when the skiers reach point 57, the chair C will pass over their heads. In arising from the chair, the backward thrust against the chair will give an increased impetus to each passenger, so that he will tend to be traveling at a slightly faster rate than the chair, which rate will increase as the skiers move down the unloading slope 56. Thus, as the skiers leave the chair, it will be pushed back rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, the skiers not being shown. The unloading station-preferably has an upwardly inclined approach slope 58, and may be formed by packing snow on a special ramp 59 which may be formed from a wooden framework inclined at each end and having sides 60, as shown. Also, a supporting tower 37 is preferably placed at the ramp 59 to minimize sag in the supporting cable 34 at the unloading station.

During summer operation, when passengers are carried merely from the lower terminal L to the upper terminal U for sightseeing or similar purposes, and then later transported back again to the lower terminal L, the ramp 59 may be disassembled or left in place, as desired. Also, for loading and unloading, the lift may be stopped when the passengers enter the chair and also when they leave the chair. During summer operation, of course, rapidity in operation is not quite as important as during the winter months, when skiers wish to be transported as quickly as possible to the top of the lift, then ski down and back to the lower terminal, so that as many trips during a day as possible may be made.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the aerial lift passenger chair of this invention fulfills to a marked degree the requirements and objects hereinbefore set forth. The box-shaped support for the chair seat permits a sturdy construction to be obtained, and a greater safety in use, since each side 10 of the chair support provides a convenient point for the passengers to grasp, when they enter the chair. Also, the rearward inclination of the chair seat, and the further rearward inclination of the chair back, insures that the passengers will tend to sit well back in the chair, so that there is little or no danger of any passenger falling out, such as when the chair is passing over a deep gully or the like. Of course, safety belts or the like may be added to the chair if desired.

The tubular pieces forming a substantial portion of the chair are strong and yet relatively light in weight, while the attachment of link 25 to the top 11 of the chair support in an off-center position insures that the center of the chair seat will lie directly beneath the supporting cable 34. This insures that the chair seat will remain in position when two passengers are being carried, although any chair may be used for carrying only one person, who preferably sits centrally therein, even though movement of the person to one side or the other will not cause an undue sidewise tipping of the chair because of the relatively long distance between the supporting cable 34 and the chair seat. The roller 28 on the link 25 also contributes to the safety of operation of the chair, since it cooperates with the guide rail 42 at the upper terminal and the guide rail 42' at the lower terminal, thus preventing the chair from swinging outwardly while passing around the terminal. In addition, the inner side 10 of the chair support also cooperates with the bumper 47 at the lower terminal.

Although a specific embodiment of this invention has been described with particularity, it will be understood that various changes may be made therein and that other embodiments may exist, all without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An aerial lift passenger chair comprising a support formed of tubular members and having a top, bottom, and sides; a chair seat including a plurality of slats extending between a rectangular framework, said framework being mounted on and attached to the bottom of said support and being inclined rearwardly with the lateral axis thereof disposed rearwardly of said support; a chair back including a series of slats extending between and attached to the rear of said seat framework and an inverted U shaped tubular member attached at each lower end to a rear corner of said seat framework; chair sides, each formed of tubular members and attached to said back member, to said seat and to said support sides; a link attached to the top of said support in an off-center position; a hanger disposed above said link and provided with a fork and pin connection with said link, for pivotal, longitudinal movement of said seat relative to said hanger; a bracket attached to the upper end of said hanger and provided with laterally disposed rollers, said rollers being mounted directly above the longitudinal axis of said chair and being adapted to engage a supporting cable or the like; and clamping means mounted on said hanger for attaching said chair to a drive cable or the like.

2. An aerial lift passenger chair comprising a supporting member having a top, bottom and sides disposed in substantially a single plane and enclosing a generally rectangular area; a seat mounted on said bottom; and means attached to said top in an off-center position and provided with laterally extending means for supporting said chair from a point substantially directly above the center of said seat.

3. An aerial lift passenger chair comprising a supporting member having a top, bottom, and sides disposed in substantially a single plane and enclosing a generally rectangular area; a seat mounted on said bottom in rearwardly inclined position with the lateral axis thereof disposed rearwardly of said supporting member; and means attached to said top in an off-center position and provided with laterally extending means for supporting said chair from a point substantially directly above the center of said seat.

4. An aerial lift passenger chair, as defined in claim 3, wherein said supporting member, top, bottom, and sides are each formed of tubular members; and wherein a back is attached to said seat and sides by welding, and includes a tubular frame member.

5. In an aerial lift passenger chair, a box-shaped support formed of tubular metal members and having a top, bottom, and sides; a chair seat including a plurality of metal slats extending between a metal rectangular framework, said framework being mounted on and attached to the bottom of said support and being inclined rearwardly with the lateral axis thereof disposed rearwardly of said support; a chair back including a series of slats extending between and attached to the rear of said seat framework and an inverted U-shaped, tubular metal member attached at each end to the rear corner of said seat framework, and inclined rearwardly from a perpendicular thereto; and chair sides, each formed of a pair of tubular metal members, one member of each said pair extending from an upper position on said U-shaped back member forwardly and slightly downwardly to a support side and the other member of each pair extending from an opposite position on said support side forwardly and inwardly and then downwardly at a sharp angle to a front corner of said seat framework.

6. In an aerial lift passenger chair, a support formed of tubular metal members and having a top, bottom, and sides, said top and sides being formed from one piece bent to shape and said bottom being welded to the lower ends of said sides; a chair seat including a plurality of metal slats extending between a rectangular metal framework including front, rear and side members welded together at the corners, at least the side members being angles with lower flanges extending inwardly, said slats being flat metal pieces resting on said rear member and said front member and being welded thereto and overlapping said front member, said framework being mounted on and welded to the bottom of said support and being inclined rearwardly with the lateral axis thereof disposed rearwardly of said support; a chair back including a series of metal slats extending between and welded to the rear of said seat framework and an inverted U-shaped tubular metal member welded at each lower end to a rear corner of said seat framework, said chair back being inclined rearwardly from a perpendicular to said seat framework; and chair sides, each formed of a pair of tubular metal members, one member of each said pair extending from an upper position on said U-shaped back member forwardly and slightly downwardly to a support side and the other member of each pair extending from an opposite position on said support side forwardly and inwardly and then downwardly at a sharp angle to a front corner of said seat framework, said side members being respectively welded to said U-shaped back member, to said support side and to said seat framework.

7. An aerial lift passenger chair comprising a supporting member, a seat, a back and sides, as defined in claim 6, and also a tubular link Welded to the top of said support in an off-center position; a pair of reinforcing gusset plates welded to said link and to the top of said support; a fork welded to the top of said link; a fixed collar and a roller mounted for rotation on said link, said roller being adapted to engage a guide rail or the like; a hanger disposed above said link and provided with a pin connection with said fork, for pivotal, longitudinal movement of said seat relative to said hanger; a bracket attached to the upper end of said hanger and provided with laterally disposed rollers, said rollers being mounted directly above the longitudinal axis of said chair and being adapted to engage a supporting cable or the like; and clamping means mounted on said hanger for attaching said chair to a drive cable or the like.

8. In a chair lift having a plurality of chairs, each provided with a seat and with means for supporting said seat having means for attachment to a drive cable, a front terminal including a structural framework, and a pulley around which said drive cable passes, a lower terminal including a structural framework, and a pulley around which said cable passes, and means for supporting said chair for movement between said terminals, the improvement which comprises a pivotal connection on each chair supporting means beneath said attachment means and a roller below said pivotal connection; and an arcuate outer rail supported by the framework of each of said upper and lower terminals, for engagement by said rollers during movement of said chair around said pulleys at said terminals.

9. In a chair lift, the improvement defined in claim 8, wherein each chair is provided with a support including side members extending vertically from each side of said seat; and said upper and lower terminals are each provided with an inside guide for engaging the inside vertical members of said chair during movement along a substantially straight path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 312,274 Huson Feb. 17, 1885 337,149 Hale Mar. 2, 1886 643,454 Barrows Feb. 13, 1900 837,480 Lee Dec. 4, 1906 1,127,753 Glynn Feb. 9, 1915 1,585,605 Russo May 18, 1926 1,876,904 Francis Sept. 13, 1930 2,017,404 Lorig Oct. 15, 1935 2,152,235 Bannerman et al. Mar. 28, 1939 2,244,650 Curran et al. June 3, 1941 2,494,581 Prigg Jan. 17, 1950 2,521,339 Burn Sept. 5, 1950 2,545,571 Charn Mar. 20, 1951 2,567,626 Trouslot Sept. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 655,711 Germany Jan. 21, 1938 

